Button cells generally have a flat-cylindrical or oval gastight case in which, if required, a plurality of positive and a plurality of negative electrodes with interposed separators as well as an electrolyte are arranged one above the other. The button cell itself comprises a case cup and a case cover, between which an electrically insulating plastic seal is arranged. Normally, the case cup polarity is positive and the case cover polarity is negative. The electrodes in many conventional button cells are so-called "mass electrodes" in the form of compressed powder tablets, which are held in a fine-mesh pure nickel wire mesh. It is also known for nickel-foam pure electrodes in the form of paste to be used as the basic material, from which the button cell electrodes are stamped.
Irrespective of the type of electrode used, the electrical load capacity of such conventional button cells on continuous discharge is limited to a value of about 1 CA, where 1 CA means the discharge current level which allows the cell capacity to be discharged within one hour. These button cells are thus suitable for specific applications with a relatively low current requirement. They, therefore, do not replace conventional round cells, which allow very much greater discharge currents. Button cells which contain a plurality of electrodes of one polarity are known in widely differing versions. For example, DE-C 3022907 discloses an electrode arrangement which contains an electrode set comprising three electrodes, in which the two outermost electrodes are connected to one another by an output, and the center electrode is provided with a contact pin which passes through one outer electrode and via which it is electrically connected to the case cover.
GB-PS 1 512 211 discloses an arrangement in which the electrodes, which are electrically connected at one point on their edge, are placed one inside the other with the interposition of a separator folded in a zigzag shape.
DE-B 1194471 discloses a rechargeable battery which is closed such that it is gastight and contains two sets of electrode plates in layers on top of one another, between which thin separators are arranged. In this case, the electrode plates in each set form a cohesive strip, which is folded such that the folded plates of the other plate set are located between the plates of the first set, with the separators being interposed. The series-connected plates in each set are provided with tongue-like connecting tabs which are cut out of the metal foil of the base.
With the known embodiments of button cells having a plurality of electrode plates of one polarity, increased effort is needed in production to hold the stack in the correct position during the various production phases, and to fit it into the cell case in the correct sequence.